New Year Speech from the Founder and CEO of Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Our world has experienced turmoil over the past year, from escalating conflicts in regions like Gaza and Ukraine to political instability and extreme weather events. Thankfully, here at the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC), 2025 was a rather peaceful and encouraging year. This is all thanks to your belief, support, and the hard work on the ground that makes BSBCC a global hub for sun bear conservation.

More than a year ago, Tourism Malaysia launched the "Visit Malaysia Year 2026" campaign to promote our country across Europe, Australia, the Americas, and Asia. I am thrilled that a pair of cartoon sun bears, Wira and Manja, were chosen as the mascots for this campaign. For the first time in history, sun bears are being recognized as representatives of Malaysia's incredible biodiversity! Local people and foreigners alike are, for the first time, learning about this little and charismatic bear species called the sun bear. The artist who created Wira and Manja did a fantastic job designing such eye-catching mascots, which we hope will attract tourists from across the world to Malaysia, Sabah, and Sandakan. As we officially enter 2026, I hope this will be the Year of the Sun Bear! May they be recognized, seen, cared for, helped, and saved.

2025 was a productive year for BSBCC. We welcomed 90,760 visitors, 65,315 of whom were foreign tourists—surpassing our previous record from 2019. High visitor numbers not only generate essential revenue for our conservation programs but also boost the local economy, improve livelihoods through nature-based tourism, and help reduce wildlife poaching. Beyond public visits, our Environmental Education Unit was busy hosting 76 school group visits (from kindergartens to universities) involving 3,223 students, and conducting 15 outreach programs, 14 roadshows, and various exhibitions.

When you visit BSBCC this year, you will notice several facility upgrades:
• First, a brand-new entrance gateway and foyer to welcome you to the world of the smallest bears. Our sincere thanks to the Malaysia Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) and Sabah's Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment (KePKAS) for co-funding this project.
• Second, we have expanded and repaired fences in bear enclosures Pen B, C, and D, replacing damaged forty-year-old iron-wood structures with chain-link fencing to improve both safety and visitor experience.
• We've also collaborated with talented local artist Woon Bing Chang to create beautiful, informative signboards that tell the stories of our sun bears and forest ecology throughout the centre.

The Tabin Sun Bear Project enters its third year! The two sun bear cubs, Tenom and Pitang, in our soft-release rehabilitation program are growing fast. Tenom, now a three-year-old juvenile, is becoming increasingly independent, and we expect her to live fully independently from her human-surrogate mother's care this year. While this program progresses well thanks to our dedicated field crew and generous funders, we also experienced a profound loss. Our 13th hard-released bear, Itam, released on March 10, 2025, was found deceased in May, likely due to injuries from a tree fall. Currently, BSBCC is a lifelong home for 41 non-releasable rescued sun bears. We are committed to their care, as they serve as vital ambassadors for their species and subjects for our research.

The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre turns 18 this year. I recall clearly how my team and I built this centre from scratch. We deliver on our commitment to conserve sun bears through holistic, pragmatic approaches, made possible only by your belief and support. While I may have founded BSBCC, I did not do this work alone. I am profoundly thankful to all our present and past staff, volunteers, interns, construction workers, generous supporters, funders, visitors, tour operators, guides, and partners like the Sabah Wildlife Department, Sabah Forestry Department, and LEAP.

Our work is far from finished. I believe 2026 marks a powerful new beginning. With Wira and Manja as mascots for Visit Malaysia Year 2026, we hope to welcome more nature-loving visitors to our centre and other rural, nature-based destinations. Their presence creates jobs, improves local livelihoods, and builds a community incentive to protect wildlife and nature—sun bears included.

Beyond continuing our core pillars—animal welfare, education, research, rehabilitation, ecotourism, community conservation, anti-poaching, and mitigating human-bear conflict—we will actively support the Sun Bear Action Plan for Sabah, launched by the Sabah Wildlife Department last March. We will also raise funds for critical facility upgrades, including a 3rd Observation Platform, a new Interpretation Gallery and Office Building, and the construction of a Tabin Sun Bear Project Field Office and staff house.

We have come a long way, but our journey is not over. As a wildlife biologist, my ultimate vision is to see sun bears thriving in the forest, not in captivity—not even at BSBCC. Achieving zero poaching, zero wildlife trafficking, and zero pet-keeping is urgent work; we cannot afford for the sun bear to follow the tragic path of the Sumatran rhino, declared extinct in Malaysia in 2019.

You have helped us come this far. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope your vital support will continue this year. Everyone can play a role in wildlife conservation if they wish. As the late Dr. Jane Goodall used to say, “Together we can, together we must, and together we will.” Let us save wildlife, and save sun bears.

Happy New Year once more! May each day of 2026 bring you a new reason to smile and be thankful. The best year is yet to come.

Warmly,
Dr (Hon.) Wong Siew Te, D.J.N.
Founder & CEO
Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre